Pashto music () or ''Də ṭang-ṭakór'' is commonly performed in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

among Pashtun people.

Genres

Tappa

Tappa Tappa is a form of Indian semi-classical vocal music. Its specialty is a rolling pace based on fast, subtle and knotty construction. Its tunes are melodious and sweet, and depict the emotional outbursts of a lover. Tappe (plural) were sung mostly ...

() is the oldest and most popular genre of the Pashto poetry. The Tappa is a composition of two unequal meters, in which the first line is shorter than the succeeding one, yet it reflects all human feelings and aspirations elegantly. Be it laborers, peasants, or women, all sentiments find expression in the Tappa. It is also common among the Pashtuns that a boy of school age would sing it, the elders in their hujrahs, or the women in their home and Godar alike. It is the only song sung in the time of grief and on the occasion of marriage. In music it is sung with the traditional Afghan musical instruments rubab and mangai. Tappa has up to 16 different models of harmony and is sung with full orchestra. In hujrah it is sung with rubab and sitar.

Charbeta

Charbetta is another popular genre, which consists of an epic poem with special rhythms. There are four kinds of Charbettas. Normally, it is a poem of four lines but might also have six or eight lines. All aspects of life are discussed in it. That includes the heroic deeds and heroism of legendary figures and sometimes expresses romantic feelings. The

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

is usually very fast and is sung by two or more singers as part of a chorus in which one singer reads the first line while the others follow the remaining. The singing or recitation of a Charbetta is called Tang Takore. Traditionally Charbetta is started just after the finishing of a Tappa.

Neemakai

Neemakai () has many different forms and normally women compose it. It is usually very short (1 to 3 lines). The first lines are repeated in the middle of the song and Tappa is usually added according to the subject and circumstances. Most of these songs in Pashtun culture have been expressed in different areas about daily life and love.

Loba

Loba is very popular among the masses and are added within Tappas occasionally. This is a form of folk music in which a story is told. It requires 2 or more persons who reply to each other in a poetic form. The two sides are usually the lover and the beloved (the man and woman).

Shaan

Shaan is sung during happy occasions such as marriages or the birth of a child, and is sung in private congregations and social gatherings.

Badala

Badala is a professional form of folk music and consists of an epic poem or a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

. Instruments used include the rubab, harmonium, mungey or tabla. In Badala, tribal traditions are the main theme as well as heroism, tragedies and romance. Badala consists of variations, because each couplet is varied in rhythms from the others. It is sung traditionally at night.

Rubayi

Rubayi is a Pashto form of a

Ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

. The Rubayis of Rehman Baba are popular among the masses and is sung before the starting of Badala. As with the Ghazals, the Rubayi have been heavily influenced by

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, Persian and Turkic poetry.

Takki

Whilst not strictly speaking a literary form, Takki are a common form of entertainment in large gatherings. Two contestants take turns to extemporaneously deliver verses attacking the other, not unlike a rap battle. This is sometimes also called Hujooh or Lughat, and is more common in the southern districts of KPK and the areas across the border, such as Khost.

Composers and performers

* Haroon Bacha * Awalmir * Sardar Ali Takkar * Obaidullah Jan Kandarai * Nashenas * Naghma * Farhad Darya * Zeek Afridi * Nazia Iqbal * Rahim Shah * Ahmad Wali * Khyal Muhammad * Gulzar Alam * Zeb and Haniya * Sajid & Zeeshan * Ismail and Junaid * Jehangir Aziz Hayat * Ghazala Javed * Homayoun Sakhi *Sannan Mahboob ( Rubab) * Enayat Ullah

Traditional Pashtun dance

* Attan * Khattak Dance

References

External links

Information on traditional Pashto Instruments
*
collection of Pashto Music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pashto music Culture of Afghanistan